My SdKfz 222s have arrived!

[EarlyWarGamer]

I would clip off the turret tabs and just sit it into the hole knowing it could easily pop out, BEFORE I would bend that barrel.

OR ... I would slice the radio pole so that corner can be lifted and have the barrel pass through the gap and face front. easy enough to disguise the cut with greenstuff and paint.

Last option for me would be to bend the barrel!  Just sayin' those are two other options.

[Captain Blood]

Thanks EWG.
I had considered the first option, but not the second. But actually it might be a better solution. The MG34 barrel does not seem that bendy to me I must admit. It overshoots the antennae frame upright by a good 3-4mm. That’s going to require rather a lot of bend!

[Tracks]

I pulled out one of my Rubicon Models SdKfz 222 kits as well as a spare 223 turret to have a hands on look. The bad news is that there is no easy fix other than if you have a spare MG. You can simply snip off the existing MG and prepare the area to take a new barrel after everything is painted.

Using Magnets:
EWG makes a good point about removing the tabs. However, to keep the turret from falling off I would use a magnet. This will require some work after you remove the turret tabs. Glue a magnet at the bottom of the turret (center). Then put a support structure or something inside the hull to hold a piece of metal. The important thing is to carefully make sure the gap between the metal and magnet is either perfect, or just a hair gap between.

Another idea is to glue the metal at the bottom of the hull and glue a plastic rod with a magnet at the end to the bottom of the turret.

I do not recommend using two magnets. With neodymium magnets, one magnet and a piece of good metal is more than what you'll need. Also you do not have to worry about getting the polarity wrong.

[Captain Blood]

Thanks Tracks.
I think the spare MG34 barrel might be the simplest solution. I have plenty of them on the frame on my Perry DAK boxes, so if the barrel goes when bending, I’ll just have to replace.

The magnet solution sounds a bit more technical and fiddly than I really have the appetite to undertake 
But thanks again for the creative ideas.

[ripley]

When you get around to building the 20mm turret version note that the rear vision port on the turret has the hinges on the bottom , all pictures I've found show them at the top . Its an easy fix with a sharp blade and a couple of plastic bits  before you build the kit , a real PIA if you try it when built
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Turret from 250/9 kit but identical to 222 kit

[url=https://postimg.cc/8jWRPprn]