Help with Revell X-Wing gun fix

I picked up the Revell Force Awakens skill level 1 black X-Wing and Spec Op Tie (can't remember correct title off the top of my head) and while they are getting a lot of flack for being glorified toys (which is really true) I thought they'd be good practice for painting/weathering which is something I'm new at.

I'm generally happy with them considering what I got them for, but the laser cannons on the X-Wing have been molded incorrectly, The small "half moon" right before the end of the barrel on each cannon lies horizontally rather than vertically. I decided to fix this to make it screen accurate and to learn one more skill in my new hobby.

My local hobby shop had a booth set up at the last sci-fi-Con in my area, and an employee that I know told me to stop in one day and he'd show me how to "pin" the cannon to correct it. I stopped in the hobby shop tonight and he wasn't there but another employee said an easier fix would be to simply cut, rotate and glue the cannon into place.

He recommended a tool, which I purchased, which was a Pull Saw Blade w/ 42 teeth per inch. He showed me the best spot (according to him) to cut the cannon, then simply rotate and glue. I currently use a combination of normal model cement and Tamiya Extra-Thin Cement (green lid) which he said would be a perfect combination.

Now, I'm not second guessing either of these guys - I've seen both their work and they are way beyond my skill level - just wondered what anyone here might think.

I know I'm making a big issue out of a very minor part of a very simple model, but as I said I pick up models like this one to improve my painting and learn skills like this one. If anyone has time to comment it's very much appreciated.

The Big Trick for this will be setting the bore-sight alignment. You may want to consider clipping just the tip or perhaps better clipping at the thickest part, then drilling for a pin. Whatever you attempt, try and come up with some form of an alignment jig, perhaps using an uncut cannon piece to validate the jig's configuration. I can see making a cradle for the cannon body that fits or 'keys' into the mounting holes/slots, mounted on a horizontal "plank" that also has a couple of 'barrel' alignment braces (perhaps vertical "planks" with V-cuts to set the correct height while centering.) You could also have a reference plane mounted near the tip to help set the correct angle on the 'half moons' so that also is uniform. Unless the slots in the body are different sizes, the one jig should work for all four.

You can make it from popsicle sticks or better, sheet styrene & sprue. Just have to be careful not to glue your reference cannon part to the jig when building it!

R/ Robert

Jimmer,
The guns are made of a weird somewhat rubbery plastic, so you should use superglue - I recommend Lock-Tite, as it never lets me down. Cut the barrel off at the point where it is thickest, right where it meets the thick barrel section that actually attaches to the wing. That way, you have a lot of ' meat' to drill into. Drill out a hole in the center of both pieces, and insert a pin, piece of wire, ect, and superglue it back together, making sure the crescent thing is perpendicular to the wing like it should be. Hope this helps!