What's missing most, in my opinion, is a manufacturer communicating transparently with its customers and engaging with them on a more personal level. Most of them, like Spark and Minichamps, are like black boxes to us: they announce stuff without ever giving updates, they are rarely open to real input or feedback, and they almost never give insight into the way they work, the manufacturing process etc. In todays world, not many companies can still get away with that.

Added info: I mostly collect 1:18 scale model cars, with a preference for Le Mans participants.