I am fitting some new Lyriks to a Hope Pro II and when i tighten the maxle fully, there is about a 2-3mm gap between the maxle "collar" and the lower leg.

There is not lateral play and it seems fine.

Is this normal?

Mine is the same, exactly the same setup as you. Don't know why either. I'm sure I could get it flush when it was all new, but not now.

I was going to ask this the other day as my Rebas with Maxles on Hope Pro2 are exactly the same. After a bit of googling I understand its normal and doesn't appear to be an issue. If i pull the fork leg outwards and then tighten the cam, the gap is reduced but I don't think it matters if I leave it with the gap. Interested to hear any more info if this is normal

Glad to hear that I am not alone.

Spoke to the retailer who sold me the forks and they checked one of their bikes and it was the same.

So seems to be the norm.

there is about a 2-3mm gap between the maxle "collar" and the lower leg

The gap is normal. If you look at the axle youll see it has a raised section which the RH leg sits on, the lip on the edge of this raised section is what tightens the hub up against the LH leg, not the 'collar'. This allows the RH leg to 'float' laterally on the axle until you tighten the lever which expands the cams.

If i pull the fork leg outwards and then tighten the cam, the gap is reduced

You shouldnt do this! The reason the RH leg 'floats' on the axle is to allow the fork to move throught its travel and not get bound up. If your fork naturally has a gap between the end of the axle and the the leg then this is where it wants to sit. If you pull the leg outwards it will bind as it goes through its travel, not good. If you want to be sure do this..

Fit your wheel, insert (greased) axle, spin axle in until snug, compress fork a few times, tighten QR lever firmly.

You shouldnt do this!

Fair enough…its on a new build that I haven't finished yet so it was more experimenting than anything else. Cheers for the info though.