A mash-up of my favourite ideas results in this solution... (Note: Maths are only for illustration purposes.)

ARMOUR:
- nerf regular plates slighty
- increase CPU/PG fitting costs of standard plates
- make stacking penalties slightly more significant but only apply to armour of the same type
- include movement penalties and rotation penalties
- leave regular plates as 'high alpha' option
- combine ferroscale and reactive plates into one 'high regen' type
- buff armour repair mods
- reduce Gallente passive armour repair to 1 hp/s per level

Alpha Plate example:
- Hit Points: 75 std, 100 adv, 125 pro
- Movement: -2% std, -4% adv, -6% pro
- Rotation: -2% std, -4% adv, -6% pro
- Regen: -0%/s std, -0%/s adv, -0%/s pro
- Stacking: -10% HP and -20% Mov/Rot each additional Alpha Plate

Regen Plate example:
- Hit Points: 40 std, 60 adv, 80 pro
- Movement: -1% std, -2% adv, -3% pro
- Rotation: -0% std, -1% adv, -2% pro
- Regen: +1%/s std, +2%/s adv, +3%/s pro
- Stacking: -10% HP, -10% Mov/Rot and -10% Regen each additional Regen Plate

SHIELDS:
- add 'high alpha' shield option
- leave/modify original shields as 'high regen' option
- decrease CPU/PG fitting costs of complex shields
- make stacking penalties only apply to shields of the same type
- introduce hybrid armour/shield Rep Tools, Nanite Injectors and Nanohives

Alpha Shield example:
- Hit Points: 60 std, 80 adv, 100 pro
- Delay: 6 sec std, 8 sec adv, 10 sec pro
- Regen: 2%/s std, 3%/s adv, 4%/s pro
- Stacking: -10% HP and -20% Delay each additional Alpha Shield

Regen Shield example:
- Hit Points: 20 std, 40 adv, 60 pro
- Delay: 3 sec std, 4 sec adv, 5 sec pro
- Regen: 4%/s std, 5%/s adv, 6%/s pro
- Stacking: -10% HP and -20% Delay each additional Regen Shield

If this is too be fixed for any reason although I BARELY think it's as serious a problem as a couple of other things like BUGS then maybe it should auto scale to the suit. For example, Light suits should have a 10% hit to all plates, medium suits should have a 5% hit, and heavies should be even. So right when it is equipped it will recieve this handicap. No additional plate types, nothing crazy. Just a hit.

I run a 1500 HP heavy with a complex armor rep. If I don't have reps I'm hosed. I also run scout and take out logis fairly often to leave the heavy vulnerable. I don't think brick tanking is a serious issue. There are times where it frustrates me but then I think "maybe my 500hp or less scout shouldn't have gone against that 900 hp logi in the first place. I could have avoided that".

Personally, I'm sick of people thinking they should be able to fight everyone, every-time and have a chance of winning.

Basically what you are saying is, when you loose to a heavy it's because the game is bad and not because you were bad or made a poor decision to fight the heavy. Gotcha. I get it now. Yeah, everybody I can't beat everytime is OP. Thanks for enlightening me.