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So this has bothered me monumentally. If the c'tan's bodies are made of the same material and technology as the necrons, how come they can look like gods while the necrons themselves look like robots? Wouldn't a necron overlord be able to have a similar body as the ones containing the c'tan?

It would make sense back in the days when the necrons only were mindless puppets, but now that they are the masters (and masters who are unconditionally obsessed with regaining their original form), wouldn't they want (and be able to) manufacture bodies that look like their old selves?

The living metal of the C'Tan bodies was shaped by the C'Tans will.

Maybe you need the abilities of a C'Tan to get the most out of this material?

Well that makes sense. But as far as I understand it, it only applies to the shaping and reshaping of the material. With that said, it was the c'tan who gave the mechanical bodies to the necrons in the first place as "gifts". If they went to the length of adding ornaments and intricate symbols to the phaerons and overlords new bodies, couldn't they have created the initial bodies they made for the necrons in the image of how they actually looked?

Of course, I do undersand that we have the issue of all fluff having been retconed, and GW cannot simply redesign the entire range from scratch. But fluff wise, would it be possible that some overlords asked the c'tan if they could make bodies that mirrored their true appearance?

I guess my real question is; if one were to make a necron army led by an overlord who actually looked like a "human" (but made of metal), who maybe was held in favor by some long dead c'tan artificer, would it add up with the fluff?

Under current fluff, the Necron bodies were designed by a Cryptek named Szeras.

There is an overlord in the new doex described as having made his crypteks craft his body out of living gold. So there is still a degree of customisation going on at the mechanical stages of necrons. Atleast to the point where a material topcoat can be applied.

Phaeron Sylphek awoke consumed by an obsession with the stars themselves, announcing to his bemused court he wished to drape himself in their molten glory. To placate their lord, the Crypteks of the Nephrekh crafted him a living-gold skin – a gift he has shared with his followers so that they might embody the glory of the triple suns of Nephrekh as they do battle

Is there any depiction of what the original Necrontyr looked like?

Sadly not

So then isn't it possible that the Necrons already look similar to their original selves?

That is indeed the common theory - emaciated muscles and too-small skin draped tightly over skeletons the size and shape of Warriors.

 Furyou Miko wrote:
That is indeed the common theory - emaciated muscles and too-small skin draped tightly over skeletons the size and shape of Warriors.

To the point where the larger, stronger looking bodies of Immortals and certainly Overlords really are the original Necrontyr's idea of "physically imposing and flawless" (as the OP suggests). Compare that with our ideas of perfection of form and it makes the Necrontyr seem that little bit more tragic?

Indeed.